Anti-Depressants and Alcohol are Counter-Productive

December 9th, 2010

Pharmacists don’t put warning labels on anti-depressant bottles screaming “DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES WHEN TAKING THIS MEDICATION” just for kicks. Many alcoholics who take anxiety and depression medications choose to disregard the warning labels on their prescriptions, drinking their regular intake of alcohol even after popping a Prozac pill. The consequences of these actions can mean that mental illnesses remain uncured.

Because it is a depressant, alcohol reduces the effectiveness of antidepressant medications.

Those who continue to drink heavily while taking a prescription medication for a mental illness will not simply put, recover as quickly as they should.

Christine Stapleton calls this issue “episodic illiteracy.” With so many alcoholics and drug addicts suffering from dual diagnosis–a mental illness such as bipolar disorder or depression with the addition of substance addiction–the commonality of ignoring prescription warning labels is a serious issue.